HET PREMATUUR GEDRAGSFENOTYPE BLOOTGELEGD - een multimodale benadering van biogedragsmatige, neurale, autonoom-zenuwstelselfysiologie en speekselmetingen in vroeggeboren schoolkinderen

Advancements in medical care and knowledge have significantly improved the survival rates of preterm (PT) infants, shifting the attention to long-term neurodevelopmental and socio-affective outcomes. Notwithstanding an increased emphasis on individualised care and parental involvement, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) remains a stressful environment for biologically immature PT infants, characterised by parental separation, painful interventions, and atypical sensory stimulation. Such early life exposures, combined with PT birth, can alter developmental trajectories, contributing to elevated behavioural difficulties and increased prevalence of psychopathology. Notably, a distinct behavioural pattern has been observed in the PT population, marked by difficulties resembling traits commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety disorders. This preterm behavioural phenotype typically has a more subtle and subclinical presentation as these elevated difficulties often fail to reach clinical diagnostic thresholds. The aim of the PhD project was to pinpoint the preterm behavioural phenotype and advance understanding of the long-term impact of PT birth on social functioning, specifically in a PT sample without major neurological impairments or a formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. To this end, school-aged PT children (8-12 years old; born extremely and very PT, between 24 to 32 weeks of gestation) and age- and sex-matched full-term (FT) controls were characterised in detail using a multimodal approach across various domains and methodologies.